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Orlando City welcomes Special Olympics athletes to training

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by: Christian Bruey Updated: Aug 11, 2016 – 4:23 PM

Three Central Florida athletes from the local Special Olympics Unified Sports soccer team got to meet Orlando City star Kaka following the Lions’ training session Thursday.

Kristian Phifer, Cesar Aponte and Jack Gourlay will join Orlando City in Chicago this weekend for their own match at Toyota Park.

Orlando City SC and the Chicago Fire will join forces on Aug. 14 to support Special Olympics and MLS Works, playing a combined match following their Major League Soccer (MLS) match at Toyota Park.

The 6 p.m. ET game is part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports exchange program, the cornerstone of the ongoing partnership between MLS and Special Olympics North America.

Special Olympics Unified Sports have more than half a million participants worldwide and combat stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities by bringing people together through sports.

Unified Sports joins athletes both with and without mental disabilities on the same team to promote social inclusion.Special Olympics’ Unified match met Lions players following the Club’s training session on Thursday.

View the original story here: http://www.wftv.com/sports/mls/orlando-city/orlando-city-welcomes-special-olympics-athletes-to-training/421528135